So here are the top ten lessons we can draw from Romney’s ongoing War on Europe:

1. Mitt Romney is the least diplomatic politician in America, having by now managed to imply that the British might not be up to hosting the Olympics, that Russia is our Enemy No. 1, that the Palestinians do not exist, and that Spain’s economic woes come from budget deficits.

2. Romney doesn’t know anything about Europe’s economic crisis, since in fact Spain’s government ran lower deficits than most European countries in the run-up to the 2008 crisis.

3. Romney consistently tries to shift blame for any problem away from the private sector onto the government, even when this approach involves out-and-out falsehoods.

9. Romney only seems to trust ‘Anglo-Saxons.’:

It was what came next that shocked the world on Tuesday. Swain writes:

In remarks that may prompt accusations of racial insensitivity, one suggested that Mr Romney was better placed to understand the depth of ties between the two countries than Mr Obama, whose father was from Africa.

“We are part of an Anglo-Saxon heritage, and he feels that the special relationship is special,” the adviser said of Mr Romney, adding: “The White House didn’t fully appreciate the shared history we have”.